Coming Home To Her
by Lieutenant Caine
Summary: Absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder.
1. Chapter 1

** Hopefully within another week, my wrist will be healed and I can get back to updating the stories that Athena has left hanging in favor of new ideas that keep popping up into her head. As it is, I'm still too tender to do much more than a couple of paragraphs at a time before it swells again and hurts quite badly. So for now I will give you an old one reprinted with a new title and new summary. Tranfering files from a zip drive doesn't hurt like actual lengthy typing does. **

**Thank you to all who have been reading and reviewing the fics. The reviews mean more than you will ever know.**

**Coming Home to Her**

**(Reprinted with permission of the original author.)**

Monday finally ended and Calleigh had never been more glad to see the end of any day in her entire life. Mondays alone were bad enough. Mondays and a bad hair day combined were even worse. Mondays without Horatio Caine to direct the CSI team were indescribably horrible. The whole day had been one stress after another and Calleigh knew that she had an entire week of just such stress facing her without the redheaded Lieutenant at his usual post of first in command.

Wearily, Calleigh made her way to the bathroom and forced herself to go through the motions of a shower and shampoo. The warm water of the shower and the fragrance of her body wash partially revived her sagging spirits, and the vigorous scrubbing she gave her hair and scalp helped ease the nagging headache that had been with her all day. Still she was utterly exhausted and decided just to put on her favorite soft, pajamas and read in bed for a while instead of eating. She just wasn't hungry enough to make the effort. She lay back against the pillows of her bed and sighed heavily.

_"__I'll check in with you each evening just to keep up with what's going on with our current cases, is that okay?" he had said._

_"__I'll be waiting for the call, Horatio."_

_"__I appreciate that, Ma'am."_

And then he was gone…on board a plane for a weeklong explosives conference in Tallahassee.

The phone lay still and silent in the palm of Calleigh's hand, taunting her. For a few moments, she flirted with the idea of calling him.

"Admit it, Duquesne," she said aloud. "Current cases has nothing to do with why you want him to call. You're missing the sound of his voice and the way he looks at you with those blue eyes, like he can see all the way to your soul."

For almost an hour she tossed in the bed, restless and edgy, until finally she gave up the idea of getting an extra two or three hours of sleep.

Giving her blonde mane an irritated shake, she slipped out of bed and softly padded to the kitchen, carefully tucking the phone into the pocket of her soft, blue and white striped robe as she went. She had just poured herself a cup of coffee and was headed to the living room to watch a movie, when her pocket emitted a soft trill. For just a second she analyzed the tingle that zipped through her nerves as she reached and pulled the phone from her pocket; pleasure pure and simple. In spite of her best efforts, she couldn't help the broad smile that spread across her face as she flipped it open and answered, hoping the breathlessness that suddenly settled on her didn't sound all the way through the phone to his ears.

"Duquesne," she answered.

"Calleigh."

One word, spoken in that husky deep voice and her knees suddenly threatened to dump her unceremoniously into the floor. She sat down on the edge of the couch, clinging to the phone as though it were a lifeline in a hurricane.

"Hello, Handsome, right on time I see."

"Always, Ma'am. How are things going?"

_I miss you Horatio. I never wanted to admit it before, but now I know what I've felt for so long._

Aloud she said, "We are doing just fine here. Ballistics confirmed the match on those shell casings we recovered at the scene of the Barkley homicide and we've all but got that one locked up."

"I knew you'd nail that one. What about the Sanderson case?"

"Well, the judge is stonewalling us on the search warrant in that case. Frank has been to see him twice and still no papers yet."

"Hmmm."

The sound of his wordless comment vibrated through the phone into Calleigh's ear and settled into her sense like a soothing caress, and without realizing it, she whispered his name…"_Horatio."_

"Yes, Calleigh?" He asked.

A deep blush colored Calleigh's face as she realized she'd spoken aloud.

"I…uh…"

"Calleigh, are you okay, Sweetheart?" Horatio's voice held concern and deep affection.

"Yes, Horatio, I'm fine, _just mortified that I let my feelings almost slip like that…_Just remembered something I needed to tell you. Frank got a new statement from the vic in the carjacking case from last week, and we are following that lead."

"Okay. But, Calleigh… Calleigh I already knew that before I left Miami. Frank told me. You were there, remember?"

_Busted_ Calleigh thought and felt heat spread across her face as her blush deepened.

"You're right, Horatio…I've been so busy with you gone that I forgot what we'd already discussed before you left."

"It's not too much is it Sweetheart?" he asked, instantly defaulting into protective mode.

Calleigh almost purred as the warmth of Horatio's voice slid into her senses like a narcotic and left her slightly giddy with delight.

"No, I'm fine, Horatio, really… but I mi…we miss you Horatio. You are the backbone of this team…and we feel it when you are gone."

Calleigh tried to keep the tone of her voice professional and brisk, but the southern drawl crept in and Horatio noticed the tiny slip of pronoun when she first started to speak.

" _I mi…WE miss you, Horatio." _She had started to say, "_I miss you, Horatio."_

His smile traveled all the way through his words. "Likewise, Calleigh. I miss you too. Good night, Sweetheart. Sleep well." His voice caressed her just before he broke the connection and was gone.

Calleigh closed her eyes and savored the lingering echoes of his voice in her ear.

"_I miss you, too. Good night, Sweetheart. Sleep well."_

She was sure to have pleasant dreams if the sweet response of her body to his softly spoken endearment was any indication. Her coffee forgotten and cold, Calleigh wandered back to her bedroom in a happy daze. Slipping out of her robe, she settled back into bed and snuggled down into the soft sheets.

"Good night, Handsome." She whispered just before she followed the sound of his voice into sleep and dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

By Wednesday morning, Calleigh was beginning to feel the strain of keeping the CSI day shift running as smoothly as Horatio did. It was not as easy as Lieutenant Horatio Caine made it appear to be on a daily basis.

As she sat in front of the computer screen, Calleigh realized her head was throbbing to the tune of a rock song, "Who Are You?" fittingly enough by a group called the Who. She watched the rapid flashing of fingerprints as the computer ran them against the print she had submitted for comparison and groaned when those three dreaded words popped up to taunt her, "No match found."

She dropped her aching head into her hands and muttered loudly just as Frank walked into the office.

"Hey. You okay there, Cal?" His Texas drawl was a welcomed interruption.

"Hey, Frank. AFIS is stonewalling me. What do you have for me?"

"How about a trip to see Judge Fortier again? You need the break, Calleigh. It'll do you good to get out of the building for a while."

"I'm all yours, Frank." Calleigh smiled at him gratefully. "Let's take the Hummer."

Two blocks away from CSI, Frank was wondering at the wisdom of letting an obviously stressed Calleigh behind the wheel of the massive vehicle. She careened wildly around a couple of corners and Frank found himself instinctively tightening his seatbelt and bracing himself for what seem to be inevitable disaster. It was usually a never-ending source of amusement for him to watch the petite blond CSI manhandle the SUV, but today she drove as if possessed.

"Uh, Calleigh, Darlin'…Judge Fortier isn't going anywhere. You don't have to drive like it's the Grand Prix."

"Why, Frank Tripp, you aren't afraid of my driving now are you?" She quipped brightly. She did however, slow her breakneck speed to just below the insane level and finished the drive to the courthouse without taking any more corners on two wheels.

When they arrived, Frank stepped down out of the Hummer and had to quell the urge to bend down and kiss the ground from sheer happiness at being alive. He straightened his jacket instead and joined Calleigh on her side of the Hummer.

"Ready, Frank?" she called as she started up the steps of the building, already several strides ahead of him.

"Hang on, Cal, I'm right behind ya."

_That woman is gonna be the happy death of some man someday, _Frank thought as he trailed her up the stairs and into the courthouse. _Pure TNT that one is. _

When they reached the lobby, Frank and Calleigh were shown into the reception area just outside Judge Fortier's chambers where they were instructed to wait. Calleigh riffled through the documents she had brought with her, making certain that all their proverbial ducks were in a row. This was the third time they had brought their case before the judge and they couldn't afford to be denied this time. When they were finally shown in to see Judge Fortier, Calleigh was more than a little on edge and Frank couldn't help but notice the sharpness in her tone as she addressed the judge.

"Your Honor, we have presented you with evidence placing the suspect at the scene of the murder, and we have also tied him to the weapon used to kill the victim. We found traces of the victim's blood in his car and also clothing belonging to the suspect that had the victim's blood on it. Your Honor, we feel that this is a preponderance of evidence that clearly calls for a warrant to search the suspect's home as a possible original crime scene…"

Judge Fortier interrupted sharply.

"Ms. Duquesne, this it the third time I've heard the presentation of the evidence in this case, and you still have not built a sold enough case for me to grant you a warrant to search the suspect's residence. You've shown me smudged fingerprints, pieces of clothing that were reportedly from the suspect's car, and reddish brown stains that may or may not be blood."

Frank cringed inwardly as he caught the signs of a blonde volcano about to erupt. Edging quietly closer to Calleigh, he silently tried to telegraph his thoughts toward her in an effort to keep her calm.

Calleigh's voice was sharp as a whip when she spoke, interrupting the judge, much to his surprise and displeasure.

"Just what is it you want from this CSI team, Your Honor? We've presented you with as tight a case as we can, and you continue to stonewall us. How much more evidence do we have to give you before you help us do our jobs? By the time you decide we have a case, the evidence will have either deteriorated or have been destroyed."

At the word 'stonewall', Judge Fortier stood from his desk, his eyes snapping angry sparks, but Calleigh paid him no heed until he motioned for the uniformed officer at the door to step into the room.

"Officer Williams, will you please see Ms. Duquesne OUT? She is leaving NOW."

The officer moved toward Calleigh to take her by the arm and lead her out, but before he could get there, he found himself facing a very angry Detective Francis Tripp. Frank had stepped in between Calleigh and the officer, his large bulk shielding her from the approaching confrontation.

"Officer Williams, if you lay a hand on this lady, I will personally see to it that your badge and gun disappear." Frank's voice was hard and unyielding.

Frank then turned and addressed the judge. "Your Honor we are leaving."

"Come on, Calleigh let's go before this guy does something really stupid."

Placing a big hand at Calleigh's waist, Frank guided the angry blonde out the door and into the lobby. He never relinquished his touch on her until they were safely outside the courthouse and inside the confines of the Hummer.

"Frank, if you hadn't been there, I would have ended up in jail on contempt." Calleigh sighed heavily. "Thank you."

"No problem, Cal." Frank was still more than a little irate himself. It went against his southern upbringing to be anything less than respectful to a lady and the thought of an officer forcibly escorting Calleigh anywhere had just set his teeth on edge. "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Frank," Calleigh smiled over at him as the put the Hummer into gear and maneuvered out of the parking lot.

The drive back to CSI was quiet and restrained.

Back in her office, Calleigh found it hard to focus and finally, after an hour of making mistakes that were unacceptable to her strict personal code of performance, she decided enough was enough and made her way to the time clock to punch out. It was well after 5:00 but seldom did she ever leave before 6:00 or 7:00 and her early departure raised more than one pair of eyebrows as she entered the elevators and disappeared from sight.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The quiet of her condo was a welcomed sound as Calleigh unlocked the door and stepped inside. With a weary sigh, she allowed herself to sag against the door for a second. All the stress and frustration from the day seemed to have settled into her shoulders and she groaned aloud. The thought of a long relaxing bath sounded heavenly to her and she smiled in spite of her tiredness.

She pulled herself away from the door and made her way to the bathroom. Quickly she shed her clothes and started the water running for a bath. The thick bath gel she poured into the foaming water sent the soothing fragrance of vanilla into the air and Calleigh could feel herself beginning to relax. When the tub had filled to a deep enough level, Calleigh skillfully twisted her hair into a knot and secured it with a hair stick, then stepped into the inviting suds and sank into the warm fragrant water. A little sigh of pleasure came from her throat as the heat penetrated her tired, aching muscles and tension began to drain from her slender body. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the back of the tub. The soothing temperature of the water and the enticing smell of the bath gel combined to relax her to the point that she had almost dozed off when her phone rang.

The sound startled her and she sat up with a jolt, her heart racing. Who could be calling her at this time of evening? It was too early for Horatio to be calling her. For a moment, she considered just letting it ring, but then carefully reached out of the tub and gingerly picked up her phone. The name on the caller ID sent heat burning through her that had nothing to do with the temperature of the water that surrounded her. **Horatio Caine. **She silently debated with herself about answering the phone while she was still in the tub. She knew she could let it go to voice mail and then call him back as soon as she was out of the tub, but her desire to hear his voice over-rode her caution and she carefully flipped open the phone.

"Duquesne," she answered, more than a little breathless as all sorts of tempting thoughts ran through her head at the situation she found herself in.

"Calleigh, I thought I'd check in early this evening. I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

His smooth voice slid over her already heated skin and Calleigh had to fight to keep back the murmur of pleasure that threatened to escape her lips.

"You're fine, Horatio." Calleigh tried to keep as still as possible to keep from making any splashing sounds that would clue him in to her current activity. "How was your day?"

He chuckled at her question. "My day was one dreary lecture after another. We were dismissed a bit early tonight and I decided instead of joining the guys at the restaurant, I'd come back to the room and order room service and talk to you. You're better company than they are."

"Don't you say the sweetest things, Handsome?" Calleigh started to reach for the towel she had left draped over the towel rack, intending to get out of the tub as quickly as she could so she would be able to give Horatio her undivided attention. The second her elbow touch the bottle of shampoo, she knew it was going to fall and made a desperate grab for it. Luck was not with her, however, and the bottle fell into the water with a loud splash. Calleigh froze.

There was a deafening silence over the phone line.

"Calleigh? Calleigh do I need to ask what you are doing?" Horatio's voice was tight, affected.

In a purely instinctive move, Calleigh sank lower into the bubbles, as if to hide herself from Horatio's eyes, and then chided herself for being silly. Of course he couldn't see her, but the through of talking to him on the phone while she was dressed only in a rapidly dissolving layer of bubbles sent a blush over her entire body.

"I…um…dropped…the um…dish liquid…in the kitchen sink…" Calleigh stammered, hoping he would accept that as an explanation.

"Calleigh…you are not in the kitchen, are you? You're taking a bath."

Every word he spoke felt like gentle hands moving over her body and Calleigh only barely kept back a sigh of pleasure.

"Horatio, I…"

"Sweetheart," he softly interrupted her, "You're in the bathtub, aren't you?"

"Yes," she whispered, her blush deepening.

"Okay…here's what we do. You finish your bath and call me back in an hour. Will you do that for me?"

Horatio's voice had dropped lower than its normal deep timber and it sent the most delicious shivers over Calleigh's skin.

When she didn't answer, Horatio said softly, "Sweetheart, you okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay. I'll call you."

"In an hour, then."

Lying across the bed in his suite in a hotel in Tallahassee some 406 miles away, Horatio closed his eyes tightly and groaned aloud. His imagination insisted on playing the most vivid and tantalizing slide show…of Calleigh Duquesne…the glistening sheen of moisture across her skin, the blush of pink in her face from the heat of the water, the way the bubbles trailed downward between… With a jolt, Horatio rolled over and sat up on the edge of the bed and forced his wayward thoughts into submission. He stepped into the luxurious kitchen area of the suite and opened the refrigerator, quickly pulling out a bottle of mineral water. He lifted it to his lips and drank deeply, easing the sudden dryness that had seized his throat at the thought of Calleigh in the bathtub.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the state, Calleigh slowly dropped the phone to the floor beside the tub and lay there chin deep in the now tepid water, trying to still the racing of her heart. What that man's voice did to her defied description. Finally she reached again for the towel, and stepped out of the tub and briskly dried herself.

_Oh what you do to me, Handsome, _she thought as she pulled her robe on and headed for the kitchen to grab a quick dinner before she called him.

Less than an hour later, Calleigh dialed the phone with trembling fingers and waited anxiously for Horatio's voice on the other end.

"You're early, Sweetheart. I take it you're clothed and finished with dinner now?" Horatio gently teased her.

"Yes," she murmured and couldn't help the grin that spread across her face, nor the blush that accompanied it.

"Hmmm. You're blushing, I can tell by your voice, Calleigh."

"Horatio…"

"No worries. Now tell me about today. How did things go?"

Calleigh gratefully went with his lighting swift change of subject.

"Well Frank and I had a devil of a time with Judge Fortier toady. I got…I guess I got a little frustrated when he turned us down for that search warrant for the third time. He called security to escort me out, but Frank intervened...told the uniform that if he touched me he'd lose his badge and gun."

"Calleigh, you are a piece of work," Horatio chuckled. "I guess I owe Frank for keeping my ballistics expert out of jail for contempt, don't I?"

"When you say it that way, it really sounds terrible." Calleigh protested.

"Calleigh, Calleigh…"

"I know…it won't happen again, Handsome. I promise. I'll send Frank by himself next time."

"That's probably a good idea, Sweetheart. How about…how about I call Judge Fortier myself and see what I can do?"

"Oh, would you, Horatio? We really need that warrant or this case will go sideways on us."

"I'm on it, Sweetheart."

A sound in the background prompted a grumble from Horatio.

"The guys are back from dinner, so I guess I need to get off the phone for now. Take care, Calleigh. I'll be home on Saturday."

"Okay, Handsome. Come home safe _to me…_I'll be at the airport to pick you up."

"Good night, Sweetheart."

For a moment after the connection was severed, Horatio replayed Calleigh's words in his head.

_Okay, Handsome. Come home safe to me… _The last two words had been so softly spoken he was only partly sure he'd heard them, but his heart knew. Knew for sure that Calleigh was missing him as much as he missed her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

By noon on Thursday, Calleigh realized that as hectic as Wednesday had been it had only been the calm before the storm. Her first indication that the day was going to be absolutely terrible was the sick look on Valera's face when she entered the DNA tech's lab to ask fro the results of the elimination sample from the carjacking case.

Calleigh noticed immediately that Valera was uncomfortable and refused to look her in the eye.

"Maxine, is there something wrong? Where are the DNA results from the elimination samples?"

"Calleigh, I really don't know how to tell you this, but I…I don't know where those samples are."

"What do you mean, you don't know where the samples are? I dropped them off to you myself, Maxine. What happened to them?" Calleigh's voice was angry and incredulous.

"They were here on my desk before I left for lunch, but when I came back they were gone. I've looked all over the lab for them Calleigh, and I just can't find them anywhere. I'm sorry."

"You're SORRY? Our entire case hinges on those samples and you're sorry? I swear I don't know how…"

Realizing that she was dangerously close to ranting, Calleigh snapped her mouth shut, spun on her heels and stormed out of the DNA lab, muttering dire threats and imprecations under her breath against a certain redheaded lieutenant if he ever left her in charge of the lab again. The clicking of her heels against the tile floor caused more than one person to throw a curious glance her way but she ignored them and charged into her office, slamming the door hard behind her.

Once inside she groaned aloud…"Will this week never end?"

She had just dropped her head into her hands to think when a soft knock sounded and the door slowly opened a tiny bit.

"Come in," she called wearily as she looked up.

Frank stuck his head in through the partially open door. "You got a minute, Cal?" he asked cautiously, having been warned beforehand of Calleigh's nasty mood.

"For you, Frank, I got a lot of minutes. Please tell me that Judge Fortier has come to his senses about our search warrant," she pleaded with a hopeful look on her face.

"Nope. Sorry. He's still stuck on stupid. And I'm afraid I have more bad news for you." There was a lengthy silence as Calleigh processed the words _more bad news._

"Hit me, Frank. Let me have it straight. What's gone wrong now?"

"Well, you remember our key eyewitness to the carjacking case?"

Calleigh nodded yes.

"He came back this morning. Said he wanted to set things straight about his statement."

"Set things straight?" Calleigh interrupted him. "Do you mean he..oh my god, Frank. He LIED?"

Calleigh put both her hands to her head and let out a little yelp of pure frustration.

"I feel the same way, Cal. Now we're back to less than square one in that case."

"I swear, Frank, I don't know how Horatio does it." Calleigh moaned as she laid her head on her desk and closed her eyes in resignation. Then a horrible thought occurred to her. They still had one day left of what was rapidly earning itself the honor of being called the worst week of Calleigh's life.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Calleigh finally made it home that evening, she was so tired and frustrated she simply walked to the living room and without even removing her 4-inch heels, which had hurt her all day, she flopped tiredly down on the couch. Her head hurt, her back hurt, and she was exhausted and very cranky. Gratefully she sank into the soft cushions of the couch and pulled one of the throw pillows over her face to hide her eyes. She had just dozed off into a light sleep when her phone trilled from inside her jacket pocket, starling her awake. She sat up with a gasp, sending the pillow flying from her fact and almost falling off the couch in her hasty return to consciousness. Muttering and cursing under her breath, she fumbled in her pocket and finally succeeded in extricating the phone and flipped it open.

"Duquesne." She snapped.

"Calleigh?" Came Horatio's quizzical voice over the line. "Is everything okay? You sound…"

"…stressed?" she interrupted him. "That's because I AM stressed, Horatio and NO, everything is most definitely NOT okay. This has been a perfectly awful day in a string of awful days, and the bad news is, we've still got one more day to go before this week is over…"

"Calleigh, Sweetheart…" Horatio tried to stop her rushing flow of words, but Calleigh wasn't listening.

"…Valera lost the DNA samples I sent to her. Lost them, Horatio! It was the only clean sample we got from the carjacking case and now we don't have anything to go on except fingerprints. Then Frank comes in this morning and informs me that…"

"Ms. Duquesne." Horatio's voice was a little more crisp this time, breaking through the frustration-laced tirade that Calleigh was voicing in his ear.

"Calleigh stopped her rant, surprised into silence at Horatio's use of her last name in such a formal manner. She heard the low, satiny soft chuckle coming from his end of the phone and caught her breath at the sound.

"Do I have your attention now, Ma'am?" he purred.

"Yes. I'm sorry. That was really quite a tangent wasn't it?"

"No worries, Sweetheart. Sounds like it's been a tough week." Horatio's voice was warm and soothing. "Tell me what's for dinner."

_Sweetheart…_ One word and Calleigh almost sighed with delight.

"I haven't had any dinner. I was so tired when I got home that I just collapsed on the couch and dozed off to sleep."

"I woke you? I'm sorry, Calleigh. Do I need to hang up so you can…?"

"NO…No, I'm not hungry. I'm fine, really," she interrupted him, reluctant to let him hang up even for the short time it would take her to microwave something fast, eat it and then call him right back.

"Calleigh, you need to eat." The admonition was gentle.

"I know, Horatio, but the stress has just killed my appetite. I'm really not hungry."

"Do I have to make it a direct order?" There was underlying firmness in the gentle teasing tone of Horatio's velvet voice.

"Okay, handsome, you win. I'll eat." Calleigh yawned mightily before she could get another word out. Horatio heard it and laughed.

"Sounds like I need to get off here and let you rest, Sweetheart. It's time for me to meet up with the guys in my group anyway, so I'll say good night for now, okay?"

"This time, I won't argue with you, Horatio. But just you wait till you get back on Saturday. I'm gonna take you to task."

"I'll hold you to that, Ma'am, " he said with a laugh. "You hang in there. Only one more day this week, Calleigh. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Good night, Sweetheart."

"Mmmm. Good night, Handsome. Sweet dreams."

"Always, Calleigh."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Friday morning dawned all too early for Calleigh and she had to stifle the urge to hurl the alarm clock across the room to still its nerve-wracking buzz. Sliding out of bed, she sleepily stumbled her way to the bathroom and without even looking, reached into the shower and turned on the water.

Some 20 minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom, dressed and in a slightly better frame of mind than she'd been in before, but not much better. Making her way to the kitchen, she slipped half a bagel into the toaster and poured herself a glass of orange juice and retrieved the strawberry cream cheese spread from the refrigerator while she waited for the bagel to brown. Her thoughts were already spinning a million miles an hour as she sat down to eat her small breakfast, and she only partly absorbed what she was reading from the front page of the Miami Herald. After the last crumb of the bagel had disappeared into her mouth and she drained the orange juice from her glass, she pushed back from the table and headed for the front door.

The morning traffic was a mess as usual and Calleigh took the time she was sitting instead of actually driving to call Frank.

"Tripp," he answered after the third ring.

Calleigh could hear the noise of children in the background and smiled. This was his week with the children and he had his hands full with two active and very energetic youngsters.

"Good morning, Frank. Can you talk a minute, or do I need to call you back? Sounds like you're up to your hairline…" Calleigh giggled and heard Frank snort at her unintentional pun.

"Funny, Cal. Very funny. No, I can talk. Matter of fact, I was just about to call you. I have news."

"It had better be good news."

"It is, Cal. Got a call about 10 minutes ago from judge Fortier's office. Secretary said she has a warrant signed and ready for us. Wonder what changed his mind?"

_Thank you, Handsome. _Calleigh sent a silent thank you in the direction of Tallahassee, along with a brilliant smile at the thought of Horatio.

"I don't know, Frank, but let's not look a gift horse in the mouth. I can call in and get the team rolling and I'll meet you at the Sanderson house before I clock in. It's on my way.

"I'll be there in 20, Cal."

When Frank and Calleigh arrived at the Sanderson house, they were met by a uniformed MDPD officer who escorted them past the crime scene tape and unlocked the front door for them. Calleigh sharp eyes quickly took in the undisturbed look of the house, and she breathed a small sigh of cautious relief. Perhaps they would be able to nail the case closed with the evidence from the scene. Her only worry was the four-day time lapse that had hindered their access to the evidence.

Quickly she gloved up and after opening her field kit and taking out her flashlight, she began a thorough inspection of the living room area. Her main focus was the beautiful hardwood floor. It seemed that the area just in front of the couch was stained darker than the rest of the flooring. Her eyes traveled the length of the room, taking in the coloring and the wood grain pattern of the tongue-in-groove boards. Something was just not right about that spot in front of the couch.

"Hey Frank, can you get the drapes for me, please?" she called from over her shoulder as she knelt down on the floor and pulled her UV light from her field kit.

"Sure, Cal. Give me a minute."

Calleigh turned on the UV light and ran it in wide arcs across the floor in front of the couch. She was expecting to find evidence, but the magnitude of her discovery stunned her. The area outlined by the telltale purple glow was so large it almost took her breath away. She had found the primary crime scene, she was sure.

"Frank, come look at this," she called, still sweeping the area with the light.

Frank walked over and gazed down over her shoulder.

"Damn, Cal. That's a helluva lot of blood. Looks like you found our primary."

"Yea, and look what else I found."

Calleigh shone the UV light on the upholstery at the bottom edge near the floor. Bright purple specks dotted the fabric almost the entire length of the couch.

"I can get samples from this and if it matches our victim, then Sanderson's alibi is full of holes.

"Good work, Cal." Frank beamed down at her.

Calleigh went about collecting samples from the couch upholstery and bagging them for transport to the lab.

"Okay, Frank, I'm done here. Could you give a lady a hand, kind Sir?" She teased with a brilliant smile.

Frank reached down and clasped Calleigh's hand to help her up.

Somehow, Calleigh lost her balance and stumbled. The next thing she knew, she was resting against Frank's chest, her cheek soft against his shirt, hands gripping his jacket for support.

Instinctively Frank's hands had closed on Calleigh waist to steady her, and the feeling of her slender body so close to his almost sent his self control into a tailspin.

_Calleigh, Darlin' I'd take my chances right now, but you belong to Horatio, and you don't even know it,_ Frank thought, his mind in a delicious frenzy.

"Easy there, Cal." Frank said as he carefully eased her back away from him and looked down at her with a smile. "You okay?"

"Yes…just klutzy today, I guess. Thank you." Calleigh beamed at him and stood on tiptoe to brush a quick kiss over his cheek.

Frank blushed mightily, stepped back from her and cleared his throat. "You ready to go?"

"Yes, Sir. I'll meet you back at the office."

Thirty minutes later, after fighting traffic on the causeway, Calleigh pulled into the parking lot of CSI and stepped out of her Jeep. Her eyes flicked to the empty parking space beside hers and a wave of longing swept through her.

_This has been the longest week of my life, Handsome. I've missed you so…_

"Focus, Calleigh Duquesne," she scolded herself fiercely as she headed up the steps into the building.

The rest of the day was rather unremarkable after the intense satisfaction of finding the evidence they needed in the Sanderson case. Paperwork consumed much of the rest of the morning, and Calleigh had made good headway through the mountain of papers on her desk. She was working so intently that she almost jumped out of her shoes at the light knock on her door.

"Oh my gosh, Nat! You scared me silly. What's up?"

"It's lunch time, Cal. Ah…um…Frank and I are going after a bite to eat. Wanna tag along?" Natalia's smile was nervous and excited all at the same time.

"You and Frank huh? No Nat, you go on, but thanks for the invitation. I'll just eat here and finish this paperwork. Have fun." Calleigh winked at her friend and smiled broadly.

_Frank and Natalia. I like that idea, _Calleigh thought and she hummed happily as she finished the report and put them away into the case file.

One hour turned into two and then three, and before Calleigh knew it, it was 6:30 in the evening. Gratefully she began to clean up to leave for the night. She had just finished when a quiet knock sounded at her door and she looked up to see Frank standing there looking rather shy and boyish.

"Hey, Frank. How was lunch?"

"It was amazing, Cal. Natalia is…well…she's something pretty special." Frank's voice was hesitant and it made him seem all the more endearing to Calleigh

"Um… Cal…uh…about earlier today…at the Sanderson house…I…I hope you didn't think…I was…" the blush that spread over Frank's face brought a smile to Calleigh's eyes and a gentle laugh to her lips.

"Francis Tripp…don't you say another word. You were a perfect gentleman, and I appreciated you for it. Besides, I don't think you would have let a girl fall on her face, would ya? Now you stop your worrying."

Relief was very evident on Frank's face as he smiled and said, "Thanks, Calleigh. That means a lot to have you say that."

"No worries, Frank. See you Monday."

"Monday then," said Frank, and he turned and left the office.

All the way home, Calleigh smiled at the thought of Frank and Natalia, and she determined to talk with the brunette first thing Monday morning.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Friday was finally over, and Calleigh had never been so glad about anything else in her entire life. The week had been very stressful. Between uncooperative judges, witnesses who perjured themselves, vanishing evidence, and Horatio's absence she felt absolutely worn to a frazzle. And on top of all of that were her own tightly controlled personal feelings toward the tall, handsome lieutenant.

Somehow Horatio's weeklong absence had made it easier for Calleigh to admit the truth of the situation, a truth she'd been fighting for months, if not years already. She, Calleigh Duquesne, was blonde head over tiny heels in love with Lieutenant Horatio Caine. For a moment she simply stood there in the kitchen silently accepting that fact. A brilliant smile spread across her face.

"He'll be home tomorrow," she said with a shiver of gladness. "His flight will be in at 7:30 and I get to…OH, Calleigh grow up, girl. You're acting like a teenager with a crush on the high school quarterback."

Humming her own version of Annie's song, "Tomorrow", Calleigh began to fix herself a small dinner; frozen Lean Cuisine angel hair pasta with shrimp, a cup of fruit salad that she had prepared earlier that morning, and a glass of peach tea. She had just sat down to the table when her phone rang. Knowing who it would be without even looking, Calleigh didn't even try to halt the giddy rush of pleasure through her body.

"Duquesne," she answered, her voice lilting and light.

"You're smiling. I can hear it in your voice, Calleigh," Horatio said by way of greeting.

"You know me too well, Handsome."

"Just wanted to check in once more before I head for home. How is the Sanderson case going now?"

Horatio's tone was all business.

"We finally got Judge Fortier to sign off on the search warrant, thanks to you, and Frank and I were over there this morning. We found exactly what we thought we'd find, the smoking gun we needed to put Sanderson behind bars for a very long time. Not even an ocean of bleach could have hidden that blood pool."

"Good work, Calleigh. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, Horatio. You trained…" she started to say just as the doorbell rang.

"Hang on a second, Handsome. There's somebody at the door."

Slightly irritated at being forced to give up even a second of time on the phone with Horatio, Calleigh went to the front door and peered out the peephole.

Shock, surprise, wonder and delight all fought for dominance as her brain registered who was standing on the other side of her door.

Her fingers at first refused to cooperate as she hastily fumbled with the lock. Finally she got the stubborn thing unbolted, and swung wide the door. Horatio stood there smiling at her.

"Horatio! How…? When…? I mean…You weren't supposed to be here until tomorrow," Calleigh finally managed to splutter.

Horatio laughed and said, "Would it be okay if I come in, Ma'am, or do you want to have this conversation out on your front porch?"

"Uh..yeah. Come in. I'm just…" she realized she wasn't making any logical sense at all so she just stopped talking.

Once inside, Horatio dropped his bags on the floor of the foyer and looked down at Calleigh with an amused twinkle in his eyes.

"I take it by your charming reaction that you are glad to see me, Calleigh."

"Yes. I'm just surprised. Your flight wasn't scheduled until tomorrow."

"I decided to catch the early flight out instead of spending another night in a hotel. Nice as it was, it just wasn't home. And besides…I wanted to see you."

Something in Horatio's tone made Calleigh look up him, and she was instantly captured by the look in his eyes.

Stepping closer to her he spoke softly, "Calleigh. Calleigh the other night on the phone you started to say something and then quickly changed your words. What were you going to say…Sweetheart," His voice caressed her and drew her in, refusing to let her look away.

"Horatio, I…" she was unable to finish and she simply stared into his eyes, longing and a sense of protocol battling for possession of her feelings.

"Calleigh, " he said softly as his hands settled at her waist and drew her toward him, "say it, please."

Totally unable to resist the gentle touch of his hands, and the sweet caress of his voice, Calleigh finally let go of her reserve and answered him with her whole heart.

"I missed you so much, so very much. I love you, Horatio."

"Sweetheart…" Horatio whispered, lifting one hand to stroke back a lock of gold that had strayed from the confines of her silver barrette. "You don't know how long I've waited to hear you say that."

The words had scarcely registered in Calleigh's mind before Horatio's lips were on hers. Softly, sweetly he kissed her, his mouth rocking over hers in a caress that left her no doubt as to his feelings. His hands moved slowly over her body in touches that made her ache for more. Finally Horatio raised his head and looked down at her. Her eyes were closed, her lips parted, and the racing pulse in her neck gave clear evidence of his effect on her.

Opening her eyes, Calleigh looked up into his face and almost melted at the adoring expression she saw there. Her heart felt as though it were trying to beat itself out of her body.

"Horatio," she murmured softly when her voice decided to cooperate with her again, "how does it feel to know that I love you?"

"Sweetheart, it feels like I've truly come home." He answered as he gathered her more closely into his arms, "which reminds me, I have no way home. I caught a taxi here." His eyes twinkled down at her and he placed a tender kiss on her lips. "I don't suppose I could talk you into driving me back to my place could I?"

"At this time of night? Absolutely not, Horatio Caine! You are staying right here for the night. I'll take the…" Calleigh stopped as she realized what she had just said. Her face turned rosy red and she stammered out an apology.

"Oh, my gosh, Horatio, I didn't mean that to sound the way it probably sounded. I just meant that…"

Her protest died a quick death as his lips closed over hers again. This time Calleigh couldn't help the little moan of pleasure that slid from her throat as Horatio gently probed apart her lips and deepened the kiss. When they finally broke apart, they were both breathless and none too steady on their feet.

"Calleigh…Calleigh if you don't take me home…" If the look in his eyes wasn't enough to send Calleigh's pulse through the roof, the intimate tone of his voice was more than sufficient to cause her to catch her breath.

"Horatio Caine, don't you even think about trying to walk back out that door tonight."

"Yes, Ma'am" he whispered just before he kissed her senseless, swung her up into his arms and carried her down the hall toward her bedroom.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A million kisses and breathless exclamations of pleasure later, Horatio and Calleigh finally came back to the real world. Her hair was spread over his shoulder like liquid gold and her body was nestled snuggly against his chest. Strong arms held Calleigh close and Horatio's warm breath whispered across her bare back like a lover's touch.

"Calleigh?" His voice vibrated through her body and she hummed appreciatively.

"Yes, Horatio?" She was pleasantly distracted, tracing the line of strong muscle that ran from his abdomen down across his hips and along his thigh.

Gently Horatio caught her hand and held it still. Surprised, Calleigh raised her head from his chest and looked up at him. His eyes had darkened again to a deep cerulean, and the desire smoldering in those depths took her breath away.

"Calleigh, I can't concentrate when you do that," he growled softly

"Who said I wanted you to concentrate, Handsome?" she teased.

His sharp intake of breath was her only warning before Calleigh found herself lying flat on her back pinned beneath him.

"Calleigh," he murmured between nips at her skin and tiny little strokes of his tongue along her neck, "How does it feel to know that I love you?"

And then there were no more words as he slowly and sweetly showed her exactly how it felt.


End file.
